Easy Crockpot Dog Food
DIY dog food can easily be made right in the slow cooker. It’s healthier and cheaper than store-bought, and it’s freezer-friendly!
If you didn’t know what your slow cooker is capable of, you’ll be very happy to know that you can now add dog food to the crockpot list.
Remember that DIY homemade dog food recipe I made recently? Well, this is pretty much the crockpot version, using a blend of different veggies that will hold up a little better in the slow cooker.
Now the best part about this, just like all slow cooker recipes, is that you can simply dump everything right in. That’s it! Simply set it before you go to work and then you can come home to 2 weeks worth of dog food by the time you get home.
It’s easy, it’s healthy, it’s nutritious, and you know exactly what’s going into your pup’s bowl. This recipe is also completely customizable to veggies that you have on hand – just be sure to double check what your pup can and can’t eat. You can simply do a “can my dog eat xyz” search on Google.
But as always, please consult with your pet’s veterinarian for possible allergies and when applying this information to your own dog’s diet.
Easy Crockpot Dog Food
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds ground beef
- 1 ½ cups brown rice
- 1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups chopped butternut squash
- 1 ½ cups chopped carrots
- ½ cup peas, frozen or canned
Instructions
- Stir in ground beef, brown rice, kidney beans, butternut squash, carrots, peas and 4 cups water into a 6-qt slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 5-6 hours or high heat for 2-3 hours, stirring as needed.
- Let cool completely.
Did you make this recipe?
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style=”text-align: center;”>Please consult with your pet’s veterinarian and use personal judgment when applying this information to your own dog’s diet.
You must have a very small dog. I followed your recipe and it lasted just a few days. My dog is a medium sized dog with a healthy appetite. That makes it very expensive which I cannot afford. Unfortunately she will not eat store bought food so I have to cook her food in very large batches.
Sorry, but this diet is NOT nutritionally complete whatsoever! PLEASE consult your vet before feeding a home diet and educate yourself or your dog/cat will suffer from your ignorance and this authors! I worked at a vet for over 10 yrs, owned a natural health food store for 15 yrs, have been involved in animal rescue for over 20 and fed raw and homecooked diets for over 25 yrs. You need to supplement ANY home diet with oils, vitamins and minerals, as well as rotation of ingredients. SImply cooking for your pets will not supply all the vitamins, mineral and nutrients their bodies need and over time, their health will suffer.
I would like to start cooking for my dog And suggestions please
I would like to make sure he gets Albert the nutrients
Thank you
Francine
Because my dog will have elective surgery she had to have pre op Checkup which included blood work. She has been eating this recipe for four months and the results of her tests were excellent. My vet had no recommendations to add.
I respect your experience as you indicated in your e mail. So what home cooked recipe did you prepare in your 25 years and what would you add to this recipe.
Thank you, Barbara
Instead of calling people ignorant and then go on to blah, blah, blah about how great you are how about being constructive? Point people to where they can learn! Even though I’m not as accomplished as you say you are I’ve found it very easy to make my dogs food. She will not eat the garbage sold, from dried to canned. Fromm, Merrick, Tate of the Wild, Holistic… it didn’t matter. I did my research. I’m actually making a batch of ground turkey, veg and rice as I type. In the rotation is Turkey, Beef and Chicken. She also gets an egg dish and a sardine meal each week. I do use meal recipes from this site. I’ve made a supplemental powder of vitamins and minerals that get sprinkled on each meal in addition to bone meal for calcium. A lot of information on nutrition came from Dr Becker’s Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats – Simple Homemade Food. Written by Beth Taylor and Karen Shaw Becker, DVM. I buy meat at the Thrift Supermarkets and on sale. 3 pounds of ground Turkey cost me $6.70, 6lbs of boneless Chicken Breast cost 11.60. The average cost of a batch of food is $10-15 and it makes as much as a $30 case of 12 cans of DF. I purchased about 60 freezer containers to freeze food in for rotation (I have a chest freezer). I do have to say Gidget is a Toy Fox Terrier so she does eat less than the average sized dog but a case of food is a case of food! I hope I’ve helped more than Tammy
please leave info about supplements , vitamins, etc. I have a boxer who is just about like your dog. does not like dry or wet food. Anything helpful.
thanks
Thank you for your response. I called my vet after reading for additional advice. She recommended a cookbook written by a vet and what an eyeopener that was. Why should dogs be any different than humans? We take all kinds of nutritianal supplements so why shouldn’t they? So now I am stocking up on vitamins etc for my dog as well researching food grinders that can grind bones. I want food that tastes good and is also healthy and good for her. Again, thank you, thank you, thank you.
They sell raw turkey and beef that includes bone in the local pet food stores. The first time I made this I used one of those. They were very cheap ($4.99) for a large tube. I’ve continued to feed my dog dried food (Merrick) so that she gets all the vitamins she needs. As I learn more I’m hoping I can reduce that.
Hi Clara,
Can you provide the title and author of the book you used? Very interested!
I highly doubt this Tammy. Dogs eating this over store brand dog foods is MUCH BETTER FOR THEM yet the stores still sell this junk food and nobody is protesting that!
You are correct. I sprinkle Wysongs Dog/Cat Food supplement On every meal, season it lightly and mix it in. So far so good. 6 months in their blood work was perfect. Now it’s been a year and they’re due for their annual vet appt and I’ll get their bloodwork done again. We’ll see.
Can you supply something to use instead of this or specific items to add to round it our instead of just shitting all over this person’s contribution and leaving the rest of us with nothing to actually implement?
If you know so much tell us what to add, running on and blah blah does not help my poms that i home cook for. Bag dog food is priced too high, i have been doing this for a year now so if im doing something wrong they would be gone
I’m guessing you missed the part where the recipe stated “PLEASE CONSULT WITH YOUR PET’S VETERINARIAN AND USE PERSONAL JUDGMENT WHEN APPLYING THIS INFORMATION TO YOUR OWN DOG’S DIET.” and an apology will be forthcoming.
Can you help me with homemade and ALL Nutrients please
So I took the ingredients and split them up in not 2 crockpots. Meats, which included beef liver, with half of the butternut squash and the other had the veggies. Added water to both. Cooked over night on high. Started cooking the at 1 am. Around 8 am turned off. Made rice in rice cooker. Used the water from both crackpots for cooking the rice. Mixed it into the meat and veggies. Had to chop the liver after it was cooked. You could puree the liver. Dogs loved it!!!!!
Cooked it on high for 3 hours, rice was still crunchy. Dogs still liked it, but I was disappointed.
My girl Sally loves this recipe. I too had problem with the rice so I cook it separately and add it to the crock pot mixture prior to dividing it up in freezer containers. The only vitamin I add at suggestion of my vet is calcium.
Thank you for the recipe.
I should have mentioned that I reduced water to two cups since rice is cooked separately.
Also I substituted zucchini and summer squash in the last batch I made and my Sally
Loved it.
I made this recipe for several years for my Border Collie, 60 lbs. She loved every morsel of it!
Unfortunately she developed bladder cancer at 10.5 years, and passed after 8 months, at age 11.5.
I now have a puppy and plan on starting her on this at 6 months.
Just made a batch this weekend for my 11 lb pup, 9 month old Lola and she loved it! I have been giving her FreshPet since I adopted her, so I knew she would enjoy this. I spent around $18 for all ingredients. I used ground turkey, butternut squash, peas, carrots, brown rice, and spinach. I might leave out a cup of water, bc it was very loose, but overall happy!
Just curious about the comments on this recipe about not having vitamins or nutrients needed for dogs. Do the vitamins and nutrients in the ingredients not count or is it because its cooked? Just personally, I believe recipes like this using real, healthy food is so much more nutritious than the junk available in a bag.
Hello My name is Leo ,
we have a dog named : Pocko who Loves to eat food but Really Loves Table Food . Should I just mix / add dog friendly supplements to his dish for general health…..?
I am excited about trying this for my dogs. My oldest one, 5 yrs old, has been throwing up the dog food we use now, but the treats, he is fine with, I dont think he likes the dog food at all. so I need to try something new and healthy with out breaking my pockets.
The only question is…..
How much do i feed them at a time. My 5 yr old is a German Shepherd, he is about 80lbs. And I have one that is turning one, she is a pit mix. about 40 lbs. I dont want to over feed or under feed.
thank you,
Sandra Hernandez
Please consult with your vet and/or use your best judgment for the appropriate vitamins/supplements for your pup as this can vary by breed/weight.
Easy to make and my dog loves it!!!
I really appreciate the recipe but even moe so the nutritionl valued for weight control
Great recipes. My 19 year old boy licked the bowl clean. You can’t get a better rating than that. Thanks so much.
My two Yorkies love it. Using the crockpot makes it so easy, and I know they are eating all healthy ingredients. Thank you for this yumo recipe.
How much do you feed them at a time/per day? I have a girlie mix and don’t want to over or under feed. Thanks!
That was supposed to read “Yorkie mix”! 🙂
Was it no or low sodium?
I have made this several times for my dogs. I have 3 and they all LOVE this recipe. There have been no ill effects whatsoever. I’ve used ground beef and also bought roasts when it goes on sale and ground it myself.
My dogs love this! No chemicals makes it nice..I gradually weaned them into it!
I just don’t know what happened…I made the recipe almost exactly (except for adding some extra peas) and my dogs both threw up massively after they ate the food. Did I maybe pick a ground beef with too much fat? Was I wrong to add extra peas?
Oh no. I am so sorry to hear that, Taylor!
Changes to your dog’s diet should be made gradually, taking 5-7 days to mix increasing amounts of the new dog food in with decreasing amounts of the old dog food. This reduces the chances that your dog will develop an upset stomach. Did you change their food completely overnight or was it done gradually when they threw up?
Hi there. Thanks for the recipe. I’d recommend adding a calcium supplement (soft bone from whole fish or raw/blanched chicken necks/thighs/wings are good, or dried/powdered egg shell). Dogs require a lot of calcium. Adding organ meat will provide needed Vit A, D, E and micro minerals.
I added a raw chicken neck to each serving, incorporated 1/4 lb chicken livers into the recipe, and omitted the beans.
I’d recommend using “Canine and Feline Nutrition” by Linda Case if you’re planning on making your own dog food. It’s not a practical how-to, but it will give you the info you need to formulate recipes that will fulfill all the nutritional requirements.
Do you think the meat on pork neckbones would work instead of the chicken neck? That’s all I could find at our grocery store. Also, when you say raw, you literally just put the raw meat into the bowl with the pre-made dog food, correct?
Pork bones – cooked or raw – are unsafe for domestic dogs.
If you grind the bones, your dog should be able to handle them. They need bones/bone meal. It is an essential part of their diet. Think about what dogs probably ate before being domesticated. Think about what wolves eat.
anybody have any idea how long this would last a 9yro 21kg male staffie ?
Hi. Thank you for this recipe. It’s so easy and so healthy. Do you cook the rice before adding it to the crockpot or put it in uncooked.
Thanks!
The rice is cooked in the slow cooker. 🙂
I’m so excited to find healthy dog treats.
Thank you
Carol
Hello. Someone shared your recipe with me and I am delighted with it. Our silky Yorkie seems to have a sensitive system and I am currently buying RX food from the vet which is expensive but has definitely helped him. Still it is processed so I cannot wait to try this. My question is this: should vitamins be added to the food? Thanks again.
Please consult with your vet and/or use your best judgment for the appropriate vitamins/supplements for your pup as this can vary by breed/weight.
Yes! Dogs need more vitamins (taurine, calcium, potassium, vitamin A, D, C, etc) than this recipe has in it. For every 1lb of meat; you should add 3 eggs with shells ground to a powder and thrown in too (You could use raw lamb or beef bones from the pet food store instead. Chicken and turkey bones are totally unsafe when cooked and risky when raw because of splintering. Pork bones are a not safe cooked or raw), 3 oz of organ meats (liver, kidney, heart – mainly liver), 1c spinach or kale. This recipe also needs 1/2 c fruit (apples, blueberries, pears, or other safe fruit) for every 1lb meat for vitamin C. Skip the rice an beans dogs don’t gain any nutritional value from them. Keep the yellows (carrots, butternut squash, pumpkin, or sweet potato) for vitamin A. I hope this helps.
Thank you, Kathy. This was very helpful instead of being told to consult my vet. I definitely will skip the rice and beans when I try this. I have a picky eater so maybe she will like this.
just to confirm- do you throw the eggs in uncooked and let them cooked in the slow cooker and then take the egg shells seperately, grind them, then add them to slow cooker once a powder? Also, if using another meat bone don’t you have to grind those first? wouldn’t they be too hard for the blender most likely? Also, I heard rotation of ingredients was really important- I found a study that a certain kind of heart diesease in dogs was found when they didn’t change food for several months or years so the recommendation was to rotate often, can you suggest how we would do that with this recipe? would we just vary the protein or all the fruits and all the veggies too so that they’re getting different nutrients from each? Thanks!
I’m so extremely confused…I tried this recipe two times. One with white rice a couple weeks ago, and today with brown rice. 1st time I made it, I put it on low for 8 1/2 hours and the rice was still not cooked, (but everything else was) so I ended up putting it in a pot with more water and boiled it. My dogs didn’t even like it and I had to throw it out.
Fast forward to today and I tried the brown rice this time, and cooked on high. Now it’s 3 1/2 hours later and rice is still hard as a rock!! But everything else is cooked. What exactly am I doing wrong? I followed the recipe to a T, including the 4 cups of water and stirring occasionally. This isn’t something that can be failed
twice, on two different cooking settings with two different color rices.
You and others must be feeding the dogs uncooked rice, which is extremely dangerous for dogs. Please let me know what I’m doing wrong because ground beef is like $11 and that’s not including all the other stuff that I had to buy in the recipe. So twice this recipe went bad and lost all my money over this. I would take this recipe off the internet, or at least change the recipe ingredient to “cooked” rice instead of uncooked. Ugh, so disappointing!
Mindy, I’m sorry this recipe did not turn out for you. Please note that user error can be a culprit here, especially when there are over 100 comments from readers with successful results with cooked rice in the allotted time listed in the recipe. What kind of rice are you using? Is your slow cooker malfunctioning?
Uncooked rice is NOT extremely dangerous to dogs. It’s not a good idea, but besides possibly getting a stomach ache and a little diarrhea they would be fine. Only in very rare case that the rice would “ball” up which can happen with other types of food and like I said is rare. If you put uncooked rice in a crock pot with water for 3 1/2 hours and it still wasn’t cooked, then there is something wrong with your rice or your crock pot. Also, who the hell pays $11 for 2 lbs of ground beef!!!
I always use long grain brown organic rice and I put mine in first so it’s on the bottom then pour in the water then put in everything else. Cook mine on high. If I use burger I fry that before adding it.
I hope this has helped. I also use frozen veggies.
I made this as listed and my dachshund crapped all over the house ? I’m thinking the ground beef was to much for her . I wont be using ground beef any more .
Alan, I’m so sorry to hear that! Changes to your dog’s diet should be made gradually, taking 5-7 days to mix increasing amounts of the new dog food in with decreasing amounts of the old dog food. This reduces the chances that your dog will develop an upset stomach.
Just wondering if there are any photos of the finished product?
Not at this time.